School Leavers
by Goldenflame3
Summary: It’s Lily and James final year, and with head prefects duties, jealous rivals, a dangerous stalker and the threat of Voldemort looming ever closer, they are in for a hell of year indeed.
1. Default Chapter

_Summary:_ It's Lily and James final year, and with head prefects duties, jealous rivals, a dangerous stalker and the threat of Voldemort looming ever closer, they are in for a hell of year indeed. Slightly AU.

_Disclaimer_: I do not own James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Gideon Prewitt or any of the characters that are recognisable from the Harry Potter Books. They belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury and Scholastic, no infringement intended. Isabelle and Giselle McKinnon are mine.

_Author's Note: _Yep, it's another Lily and James fic. OoTP seems to have fuelled a lot of  these, and I just went along for the ride. While I will try to make this as original as possible, I'm not going to promise anything. I happen to think some clichés are just too cute not to use, and chances are, you'll run into one or two or more of them during the course of this story. The first few chapters are going to be nothing but fluffy fluff , and I admit, I don't write it well, but there are ya go. Brit picking, pointing out errors about the details of the Wizarding world is very welcome and appreciated. Reviews are welcome, constructive criticism even more so. Basically, tell me if I should go on or just forget about it and stick to reading fanfic. J

Chapter One

" It's so beautiful,"

Sixteen year old Lily Evans sighed blissfully, snuggling further into the warm, strong body behind her. The starry night sky was stretched out in front and below her, like some beautiful, enchanted carpet laid out at her feet. Her companion chuckled, and she felt it rumble through his chest.

" I've seen better,"

Lily grinned and glanced over her shoulder, meeting his gaze.

" You have, have you?" She inquired playfully. " Enlighten me then."

" Gladly. There's this girl, you see,"

" Oh a girl," Lily interrupted with a grin. " I don't think I'm going to like this very much."

" Sshh." The arms around her squeezed a little. She felt his breath on her ear as he leaned close to whisper to her, amusement clear in his voice. " You are so impatient, did you know?" Lily giggled. He cleared his throat. " Anyway. This girl. She's got so much going for her. She's smart, well, actually, brilliant is a more appropriate word. I don't think I've ever seen anyone pick up spells and incantations so quickly."

" Oooh. Sounds like you're a little envious of said girl."

He poked a finger into her ribs, and Lily giggled again. " Stop that! You know I'm ticklish!"

" Well then, stop interrupting me." He chided pretending to be annoyed. " If you'd let me finish, I would have told you that she's the best I've seen… apart from me that is." Lily snorted in disbelief, but he let this pass, and continued. " She's also sweet. Always there for you when you're down, and doesn't _ever_ take no for an answer, especially when she thinks you're going about things the wrong way and could hurt yourself. Actually, she's quite bossy in that respect,"

" Hey!"

" But she's got a heart of gold. She always means well, even if she can be a bit annoying."

" And here I thought you _liked_ this girl."

" Oh I do. I'm completely mad for her. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she's built like Aphrodite incarnate. Better in fact. She's absolutely gorgeous."

" So you think she's pretty enough to compare to all this?" Lily swept her arm to the celestial bodies all around them. " Somehow I doubt that."

" She's not just pretty, she's _beautiful._ But her looks aren't what makes me say she's better than all this."

" What, then?"

" It's her heart. And her soul. It's the way she's always ready to give her help when she's asked. It's how she knows to give her help even when she's _not_ asked. The way she comforts a homesick first year. The way she can think up the most devious of pranks and still look like an innocent angel when she denies it. And how she never backs down in defence of her friends. How she's brave enough to stand up against her enemies when she's outnumbered. And how she's not afraid to let you know what she's really thinking or when you're out of order. She's not afraid to be who she is. Not afraid to give you all she's got." He looked uncertain now, as if she would laugh or scoff at him.

Lily had turned to him when he had first started speaking, and her eyes had steadily filled with tears.

" Oh James."

" I love you Lily. For being all those things I said, and so much more. And I swear, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you've made me." James smiled at her, his gold-flecked hazel eyes shining at her. "  That's why I wanted to bring you up here. I wanted to give you the world."

Lily shook her head, smiling at him tremulously, for she was very close to tears.

" I don't want the world, James. I just want you…"

He smiled, and it was more dazzling than the light of the sun. Slowly, he leaned in, intent on her lips. Lily held her breath, anticipating the moment when they would kiss…

" **MUM**!" 

The ear-piercing shriek cut through the relative peace in the Evans family's cosy two-storey home, shattering the calm. Lily Evans awoke with a start, blinking sleepily around the room. Where were the stars? Where was the flying carpet? And most important of all, where was _James?_

" _MUM!_ HELP!" 

Another screech rent through the house and Lily winced. She tried desperately to hold on to the dream, to how she had felt as she hovered in the sky with James but another panic-stricken scream broke her concentration completely. Lily groaned with heartfelt disappointment. One inch left, if that, and she would've _had_ him! Why couldn't whoever it was who was screaming their head off have waited just another minute? 

Wait a minute.

Someone was _screaming._

As sleep left her, Lily's brain finally kicked into gear and she recognized the screams as her sisters' own. Alarmed, she leapt out of bed, flinging her duvet to the floor in her haste, stopping only a moment to grab her wand. Lily flew down the corridor, towards the bathroom where the screams were coming from. Already her mother was running to the door, an extremely worried look on her face.

" Petunia!" She called. " Petunia, what's wrong?!" Grace Evans threw the bathroom door wide open, and then shrieked as well.

" Good grief!" Lily exclaimed at the scream, running towards her mother. " Mum, what is it? Why is everyone screaming?"

Mrs. Evans was standing stock still, her hands over her mouth, face frozen in horror. Fearing the worst, Lily leaped in front of her mother, wand out, pointing at whatever had terrified her mother and sister so. She had expected to find some kind of intruder, or even a creature of some sort. What she found instead, was her elder sister, sobbing hysterically, greenish slime covering almost her entire body. Petunia looked very much like the creature from the Black Lagoon, and Lily couldn't help herself.

She screamed.

Of course, her scream attracted Petunia's attention enough for her to realize that a wand, (a dreadful, dangerous weapon her younger sister insisted on carrying around everywhere) was trained on her. It sent her into a fresh bout of screams as she attempted to hide behind the shower curtain. 

" Mum! Mum! She's pointing that _THING_ at me! HELP!"

Lily recovered her senses and quickly stowed her wand away in a pyjama pocket. Grace hurried forward and hugged the cowering and very wet and slimy Petunia, reassuring her that Lily had put her wand away.

" She was just trying to protect you, Petunia, darling, it's all right, Lily would never hurt you."

Lily had crept into the bathroom after her mother and was quite startled to see Petunia's head snap up from their mother's shoulder, where she had been bawling to glare at Lily.

" She did this to me!" Petunia accused in a low, venomous hiss. " She did it with her, her w-wand, I know she did!"

Lily gaped at her. " I did no such thing, Petunia, I been fast asleep this whole time, I only woke up when I heard you screaming!"

" Liar!"

" I'm not lying!"

" Petunia, calm down! Lily was sleeping, I saw her." Mrs. Evans broke in, trying to stop another argument from breaking out.

" Then how do you explain this?!" Petunia demanded angrily, gesturing at her green slimy skin. Lily took a step forward and realized what it was.

" Frogspawn soap." She announced. 

" What?" Mrs. Evans looked alarmed. " But…how? How did you-" 

" I told you!" Petunia interrupted, looking triumphant even though she was covered in slime. " She did it!"  
  


" No, I didn't." Lily denied flatly. She frowned at her sister. " I told you _not _to go into my room, Petunia. You've been going through my things again."

Petunia glared. " You've done something horrible to me and you still stand there and accuse me? Mum!"

" All right, all right, girls! Lily, why would you say such a thing?"

" Because, mum, I recognize that bar of soap," She nodded towards the ordinary looking bar and it's paper wrapper, tossed carelessly on the floor. " It came with the gift basket Sirius sent me."

" We were out of soap!" Petunia defended her actions. " Mum and I have been so busy with the preparations, we hadn't had time to shop for groceries! I wouldn't have taken it if you'd only have let me borrow some of your toiletries but you're too selfish to share, even though there are five more bars in that basket!" Tears of fury filled her eyes again. " And to pay me back, you…you turn me into a frog?!"

Lily shook her head, amazed at how easily her sister could go from being the weak and defenceless victim to the aggressive accuser. 

" Petunia, I told you I couldn't give you any of those things because they came from SIRIUS BLACK. If you listened to me at _all,_ you'd know that he's a prank loving hooligan who loves to give out jinxed gifts and bewitch everyone's personal belongings on the last day of term! I didn't want you to come into my room because I'm still checking everything for jinxes and I hadn't gotten round to looking at the gift basket yet!"

" You're _lying_!"

Lily threw her hands up. " I DON'T lie, Petunia, that's your forte, remember?"

" You're a freak, an abnormal-"

" _Enough!_" The command silenced Petunia effectively and Lily stopped glaring at her sister so that she could look at her mother. Grace Evans was generally easy going and jovial, but if roused, she had a formidable temper to contend with. " Petunia, what have I told you about speaking to your sister that way?"

" But mum-"

" What did I tell you?" Grace overrode her, eyebrow raised.

" That I shouldn't," Petunia muttered sullenly.

" And Lily, how many times have I told you to go through your things in the first week of the holidays?"

" But Sirius-"

" I should think that after two years of being that boy's Prefect, you would know to throw away anything he sends you immediately."

" I know I should have," Lily admitted guiltily. She glanced up at into her sister's reproachful eyes. " I'm sorry I didn't get rid of the basket sooner Petunia. I could have given you normal soap, you know, I have some left over."

Petunia sniffed, apparently not ready to accept Lily's apology or make one of her own. 

" Petunia," Grace began warningly.

Petunia sighed and gritted her teeth. " I'm sorry I went into your room and took the soap."

" There." Grace said, all smiled again. " That wasn't so bad was it?"

Neither of her daughters replied. She sighed. Oh, how she wished David were here. He was their father after all, and he certainly knew how to keep the peace between their two vastly different daughters. Unfortunately, he was only coming back from his business trip tomorrow, and until then, she would have to muddle through by herself. She put on a businesslike façade. 

" Right. Lily, I assume you know how to get rid of…this?"

Lily glanced at Petunia, highly tempted to say she didn't know. 

" I'm meeting Vernon and Marge this morning!" Her sister squealed in a panic. " I can't let them see me looking like this!"

Lily sighed in defeat. She knew how important appearing normal was to Petunia, especially to her fiancé and his family. Personally, she didn't know what was so appealing about it, she found normalcy rather boring actually, but to each her own. 

" All you have to do is take a cold shower."

Petunia made a face. She hated the cold. " How cold?" She inquired snappishly. Lily grinned inwardly. Well. Nobody said she couldn't have a little fun, hadn't they? After all, Petunia had brought this onto herself and she had interrupted Lily's dream… Lily might've been a model student, but she was hardly a saint.

" Ice cold," she answered, her tone very matter of fact. 

" Ice cold?" Petunia parroted, looking horror struck.

" The colder it is, the less…green you'll be in the end. I suggest filling a basin with cold water and then adding several trays of ice cubes to it. And then, to finish it off, a nice cool shower." Lily yawned and turned to walk out. " I'm going back to sleep. Any problems, just scream."

Grace Evans sighed as Petunia reluctantly turned the tap to the cold-water setting and stepped under the spray. 

" I'll go get the ice."

Once in her room, Lily carefully shut the door and locked it. Giggling quietly, she jumped into bed, retrieving her duvet from the floor. Just as she was about to pull it over her, a tap came on her window. Through it, she could see a handsome barn owl, with a letter in it's beak. Recognizing it instantly, she leaped out of bed and opened the window. The owl flew in, dropped the letter on the desk and landed on her outstretched arm.

" Hello Goliath," She crooned, petting the owl. " I've got a treat for you."

Walking to the dresser, she opened a drawer and pulled out a bag owl treats. Offering one to the owl, she smiled as he hooted gratefully.

" So…how is he, hmm?"

Amber eyes blinked at her, and then to the letter on the desk, as if saying, " Well, read the letter and you'll find out."

Lily petted him one last time and laughed, kissing the owl's feathery head.

" I'd ask you to give that to him for me, but I don't think he'll appreciate it in quite the same way." She carried the owl back to window and set him down on the sill. Opening a drawer in her desk, she withdrew a letter from it and gave it to the owl. It had a purple wax seal on it, and a drawing of a lily was etched into it. " You make sure he gets it, won't you?"

Goliath hooted. Lily smiled.

" Off you go then."

His great wings spread out wide and away he went. Clutching the letter to her, Lily jumped back into bed. She carefully slid a finger under the red wax seal that for some reason, bore the legend of a stag, and began to read. The letter was short and to the point.

_Lily,_

_                 Can't wait for school to start, bet you never thought you'd hear me say that did you? At least then I'll be able to see you everyday. I'm going out of my mind here, Sirius says if you don't rescue me from this madness, he's going to hex me into the next century.  _

_                We'll be in Diagon Alley tomorrow, picking up my and Sirius' things for school. My parents say they need a break from me, can you believe it? So what about it? Care to rescue this incredibly talented, incredibly athletic and incredibly handsome Quidditch captain from himself? _

_                I miss you. Please come._

_                                                                                                                                                James_

_PS: You sister is a menace, did you know? I don't know how your parents let her survive past her tenth birthday. If she tries anything with you, tell me, and the Marauders will sort her out, yeah?___

Lily laughed at postscript. Though she fully intended to give Sirius a piece of her mind for putting her in such a situation, she could help but be tempted to agree to it. Lord knew, if anyone deserved a Marauder prank fest, it was Petunia. Perhaps it would loosen her up. Lily shook her head. She knew better. It would never happen. Her eyes lingered on the last sentences before he had signed his name. She traced them with a finger, and fell back onto her pillows, already thinking of a way to get there. Checking to see that the door was indeed locked, she lifted her pillow and removed the wizard photo of James Sirius had pressed into her hand last year, when she was leaving for the Easter holidays. 

Back then, things between her and James weren't exactly…amicable and Sirius had given her the photo, asked her to just think about it, and think about James and how he was trying. Several times during the rest of the year, Lily had been tempted to throw it away, but for some strange reason, she had kept it. Now, she stared down at it affectionately, grinning at how completely adorable James looked, a pensive look on his face as he looked out into the distance. Lily often wondered what he had been thinking when Sirius had snapped this photo. As if realizing that he was being stared at, photo James looked up at her and smiled. True to form, he then winked, blowing her a kiss.

Lily chuckled and her eyes softened. They had certainly come a long way from bickering any time they came within five feet of each other. James had shown her that he was capable of consideration towards others and Lily herself had learned not to take everything too seriously, to laugh once in a while. He horsed around, she had realized, not because he enjoyed inflicting humiliation on others (well, with the exception of some 'deserving' parties) but because he truly believed in living life to the fullest. They had reached an understanding, and Lily had finally seen what it was about him that drew girls like bees to honey. Initially, she had fought against her developing feelings with all her might, aghast at the thought of _falling_ for James Potter of all people, but slowly, he had worn down her defences and after many misunderstandings and too much deliberation, at the very end of last year, in fact, at Platform Nine and three quarters just before they had left to join their families, Lily and James had finally become a couple.

Photo James lifted a hand to mess up the back of his hair, and Lily shook her head at him with a sigh. Surely he didn't think she found that attractive? He smiled up at her again, and Lily remembered the dream, a wistful smile claiming her lips. 

" I miss you too."

TBC. 


	2. Chapter Two

_Summary:_ It's Lily and James final year, and with head prefects duties, jealous rivals, a dangerous stalker and the threat of Voldemort looming ever closer, they are in for a hell of year indeed. Slightly AU.

_Disclaimer_: I do not own James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Gideon Prewitt or any of the characters that are recognisable from the Harry Potter Books. They belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury and Scholastic, no infringement intended. Isabelle and Giselle McKinnon are mine.

_Author's note:_ Eeeek! Never mind how silly that sounds, I'm so happy someone actually reviewed this! Amy-gryffindor, nikki-101 and prongs 122 thank you so much! Here's chapter two, hope ya enjoy!

Chapter Two

" Boring. Boring. _Definitely _boring."

Tall, with unruly black hair that stuck out every which way, seventeen year old James Potter stood in front of a large box at Flourish and Blotts, skimming through the books inside it, all on curses, hexes and jinxes. He had been attracting exasperated stares from the assistant from the minute he stepped into the shop, but James was far too used to this to care. He got exasperated looks 24 hours a day at home and at school. It wasn't anything new.

  He shook his head at the book he held in his hands. These spells were so easy, even a first year could cast them. With a snort, he tossed it carelessly back into the box, ignoring the scandalized gasp from the assistant hovering behind him. James glanced at his watch, checking the time. It was half past ten already, and still, there was no sign of her. Head down, he walked out of the shop, feeling as if someone had grasped his heart in a grip that was slowly tightening. What if she didn't come? It had been almost two months since he'd last seen her, and James hadn't been lying when he said he was going out of his mind. He'd been fighting a crazy urge to hop on his broom and fly to her house. He'd be breaking a thousand laws about secrecy, but he was fast approaching the point where he didn't care. 

Again, he shook his head. Life was completely ironic. He had finally gotten the girl of his dreams to agree to go out with him, but it had to happen on the very last day he'd see her for two months. Letters were all right, he supposed, and they certainly gave him and insight into Lily's life at home, the part of her world he knew nothing about. He'd heard rumours that she didn't get along with her sister but he had never known to what extent she loathed Lily. That bothered James a great deal. Even when he had been fighting with her, he'd always known that Lily was special. That was the reason he was fighting with her in the first place, it was the only way he knew how to gain her attention. If he, who at one time, could honestly say he had never met a more annoying person than Lily Evans, could still see how amazing she was, why couldn't her own sister see it? 

Letters just weren't enough, he mused, absently messing up the back of his hair. He wanted to see her. He didn't even have a picture of her! What kind of bloke didn't even have a picture of his girlfriend, especially when the girlfriend was someone he'd been mad for since fourth year? In fifth year, James had gone through a phase where he had carried a small, muggle camera around with him for weeks, trying to discreetly get a shot of Lily. Sirius had laughed his head off at that one, and Remus had shaken his head in that way that he had, bluntly telling James that he thought stalking Lily was a _very, very_ bad idea and was hardly the way to get into her good books. Needless to say, Remus had been proved right when Lily had caught him aiming the camera at her while she was eating during lunch, and had promptly given him detention for voyeurism. At that moment, he'd been incensed that she'd given him detention and more than a little embarrassed at having been caught, but he'd managed to pass it off as his trying to assemble an album of Hogwarts' ugliest people. Now, he wished he'd managed to get a shot. At least then he would've been able to look at her image, even if she was eating soup. 

Several admiring glances were sent his way, but James hardly noticed, so absorbed was he in his own thoughts. In an effort to break the melancholia that had forced his parents and Sirius to send him out of house, James tried to grin back as an especially pretty blonde girl gazed flirtatiously at him. The grin faltered halfway though and James sighed, missing the disappointed look that flashed over the girl's face. It was no use. The only way he was he was going to smile today was if Lily was around. He stopped in front of the display window in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, staring at the items on display without interest. Alarm spread through him as he realized even Quidditch wasn't working it's usual magic on him. What in the name of Merlin was the girl _doing_ to him? James heaved in a breath, suddenly very aware that the air smelled of strawberries and rain, the same scent that always hung around Lily. He closed his eyes. Maybe, if he tried hard enough, he could pretend she was near… 

" James?" A bemused voice called. " What are you doing?"

He smiled. He was better at this pretending thing than he thought. He'd gotten her voice exactly right.

" I'm playing pretend," he answered softly.

" Why?" 

" So that I can have you here with me, Lily." James murmured

Lily's mouth fell open at his words, and in spite of the promise she'd made to herself to remain cool and collected, she felt her heart begin to beat faster. His reason for standing with his eyes closed finally penetrated her brain and Lily smiled with amusement. Tickled at the thought, she giggled and reached out to touch his shoulder.

James heard the soft, throaty chuckle and felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Eyes snapping open, he spun around and stared at Lily in shock. She was smiling at him, green eyes sparkling in amusement. Her hair had grown slightly longer and for once, she had left it loose, letting it fall down over her shoulder in slightly wavy curls. The simple white dress with a pale blue floral print suited her, skimming over curves James had always wished weren't so hidden by the Hogwarts robes.  All in all, she made a pretty amazing sight and when he finally met her eyes, it was to see that she had raised an eyebrow at him in question.

" Playing pretend? The great James Potter, Quidditch Captain extraordinaire, playing pretend?"

Realizing what he had said before, James felt his cheeks heat up in a blush. 

" Err…about that,"

Lily winked. " Don't worry, Potter, your secret is safe with me."

James grinned down at her, still not quite believing that she was really here. He took a step closer.

" I thought we agreed that you'd start calling me James?"

Lily took a step back, eyeing him impishly. " And what if I want to call you Potter?"

" Well then," He began, taking another step forward as she stepped back. "I'll just have to change your mind," He answered. They stood still, staring challengingly into each other's eyes. And, quite suddenly, James let out a great shout of laughter, and swept Lily into his arms, swinging her round in glee.

" James!" Lily laughed in surprise. " James, what are you doing? Put me down!"

Around them, some elderly witches and wizards gasped in disapproval, but most smiled indulgently, recalling times long past when they too had been young and blissfully in love. 

James spun them around one more time before setting Lily down gently, grinning widely at her all the while.

" Ah, you see. It worked."

Lily swatted him lightly, frowning in mock anger. " A little warning next time, please?" She couldn't keep up the act though and the next moment, she had launched herself back into his arms, hugging him as tight as she could. James laughed at her abrupt move, and Lily looked up at him, smiling prettily as she said,

" Hi."

James, who was holding on to her just as tightly shook his head at her belated greeting, thrilled beyond words that she had come.

" Hello." He reached up to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. " I wasn't sure you were going to show up." He told her softly. Lily pulled back just a little, so she could properly look into his eyes.

" Why wouldn't I?"

" Erm…it's just that I've been waiting for hours," James admitted.

" Hours?" Surprise was clear in her tone and James coloured again. He couldn't blame her for being surprised. He was after all, known for never being early.

" Yeah," He began, making his tone light. " Been here since seven. You ready to go shopping?" He rushed on, releasing Lily, but keeping a tight hold on her hand.

" Seven!" Lily exclaimed, gaping at James. " James, you've been here since seven?!"

He nodded sheepishly. " Yeah. That makes you three and a half hours late."

Lily grimaced. It hadn't been hard to obtain her mother's permission to tag along to London with her and Petunia. What had been hard was to get Petunia to agree to her coming along with them, convinced as she was that Lily was doing everything in her power to ruin her wedding. Eventually, their mother's will had prevailed, it was her car after all, but on the condition that Lily finally attend the fittings she'd been avoiding all summer: her bridesmaid gown. Under Petunia's critical eye, Lily had been measured and poked and prodded at, finally being encased in a tight, very frilly, cream creation that she was sure would give her nightmares for life. After an hour or so of standing stock still as the tailor had pinned the fussy dress to the correct length, Lily had been released upon her promise to meet her mother outside the Leaky Cauldron at four. It had been 10 o clock by then, and she was worried she might miss James. She had never dreamed he'd wait three hours for her.

" I'm so sorry," She apologized immediately, feeling terrible. " James, I had no idea, you didn't give me a time to meet you, you see, and then I got held up at this fitting for my god awful bridesmaid's dress and-"

" Lily, Lily, calm down!" James interrupted. " It's all right, really. It's my fault, like you said, I didn't give you a time. I just… I wasn't sure you'd be coming that's all, so I decided to let _you_ decide what time you wanted to come." He frowned." Did that make sense?"

" Perfect sense," Lily affirmed, but then a worried look appeared on her face. She stepped closer to him and laid her free hand on his chest. " But what if I'd only come much later?"

" What, later than three and a half hours?" James teased.

" Yes, later than three and a half hours," Lily bit her lip. " What if I been later than that? You'd have been here _all_ day_!_" She fretted.

James squeezed the hand he held in his. " I'd have waited. I'd have waited till the shops closed and probably till they turned me out of the alley. And even then, I would have stayed in the Leaky Cauldron till you came." He ducked his head a little. " I've…well, I don't know if you noticed, but I've been waiting for you a long time Lily. What was another couple of hours?"

Wordlessly, Lily hugged James again, wondering why she had ever hesitated in agreeing to his request. Well, all right, she did have several reasons why, but right now, they seemed to fade into nothingness. 

" I would've found a way to come you know," She said, glorying in finally being close to him. " Wild hippogriffs couldn't have kept me away."

He chuckled, and just like in her dream, she felt it rumble through his chest. 

" That's good to know." He leaned back and smiled brightly at her. " Now, what was that about a bridesmaid's dress?"

Lily groaned, following behind him as they began to walk down the alley, hand in hand. " Don't remind me. Remember Vernon, Petunia's boyfriend?"

James nodded, glancing at Lily curiously. " Yes, of course I remember Vermin," He replied casually, ignoring her half admonishing, half appreciating cry ( "_James!"_) " What about him?"

With some effort, Lily managed to contain her urge to laugh at the nickname. " Well, as of the beginning of the holidays, he officially became Petunia's fiancé."

" They got engaged?" Incredulous, James stared at Lily as she nodded. He grimaced and shook his head. "Well… I will say one thing for them. They deserve each other." He nudged her playfully. " Why didn't you mention it in your letters?"

She shrugged. " Oh, I don't know. I had this crazy idea that if I didn't write it down, it wouldn't seem so…final." Lily sighed. " I know I should be happy for her. I haven't seen Petunia act like this since she had her first date. But still, I can't help but wish it were anyone but Vernon. He…doesn't exactly approve of me."

James temper flared. He knew exactly what Lily wasn't saying, could read everything that she was feeling through those luminous eyes of hers.  " Well I don't exactly _approve_ of him either," He said, disdain dripping from every word. His face softened, and he drew Lily closer to him. " Don't let them bother you Lily. If they can't see what I can, then it's their loss."

" I know. And I don't. Not usually anyway. It's just…she's my sister James. We grew up together and in spite of everything she's said and done over the years, I do want her to be happy. I just wish the price we had to pay for Petunia's happiness wasn't letting Vernon be part of our family. He's not exactly going to be the world's best brother in law."

" If he says anything to you Lily, anything at all," Jaw clenched, James frowned into the distance, already imagining all sorts of fitting punishments. " I can deal with him for you."

Lily rolled her eyes at him. " While I do appreciate the thought James, I'm perfectly capable dealing with Vernon myself."

" I know you are," He grinned at her, " But if you're ever in need of inspiration, you know where to find me, yeah?"

" Yeah." She agreed, suddenly uncomfortable, with both the subject and the stares she and James were attracting. Surely they weren't talking that loud, were they? Belated, she recalled James very enthusiastic greeting and she blushed, sure that she had found the reason for all the attention. It didn't occur to her that people were staring simply because she and James made a rather good-looking couple, young, attractive and so full of life.  " Anyway, let's not talk about me anymore. What about you, how's your holiday been so far?"

" I've been writing letters to you everyday for almost two months, Lily." He regarded her with amusement. " You know how my holiday has been so far."

" Oh right," It was Lily's turn to look sheepish as she realized that was he said was true. " Have you got your list then?"

James nodded, patting the breast pocket of his robes. " Sirius' too. He, er… he didn't feel like coming today." The truth was, Sirius had threatened to curse him if he heard the name 'Lily' from James mouth one more time, and his parents were heartily tired of his gloom and doom expression too. And so, even if he hadn't asked Lily to come, he probably would've spent the whole day in the Alley anyway, for he had the sneaking suspicion that his parents, egged on by Sirius, had locked him out of the house for a day.

Lily gave him a strange look but accepted the comment with question. 

" Excellent. I just need to make a quick stop." She pulled on his hand to halt him and James groaned when he saw the shop they were standing in front of. 

" Madam Malkins? But you're going to take forever in there!"

Lily raised her eyebrows at him. " I am?"

" Of course you are." James insisted. " You'll spend hours in there, and then we'll have to rush around like chickens with their heads cut off to get all our school things."

Wrinkling her nose at the comparison, Lily gazed at James appraisingly. " It sounds like you're talking from experience." 

" Oh I am," James nodded in the affirmative, missing the way Lily's eyes had narrowed. " Three times I've made the mistake of letting the girl I was with in there, and three times I was forced to break the speed record trying to get everything. It was a nightmare, I-"

Lily frowned thoughtfully, tuning James out. Three times. That would mean he'd done this with the three girls before her. Feeling slightly sick as she realized that she was actually experiencing _jealousy_ of the flighty air heads he'd been consorting with before her, Lily set her jaw and cut into his increasingly long winded explanation. Did he honestly not know that he was putting his foot into his mouth and in a rather spectacular fashion at that? 

" Fascinating, James," She gave him cool, polished smile, hard as diamond. " Well, since you've done this before, with Lyselle, Gina and Jennifer, obviously, you'll know how to entertain yourself while I'm inside."

She swept into the shop, leaving the bells tinkling in her wake. James stared stupidly after her. Had he done something wrong? What had he said? He had been complaining about how 'girls' meaning his exes always took an unbearably long time in clothing shops and…James groaned, hitting his forehead rather dramatically with his palm. He had just broken one of Remus' cardinal rules about being in a relationship. While Remus certainly hadn't had as many girlfriends as James and Sirius and even Peter had, he was the unchallenged relationship guru of the Marauders, due to the fact that out of the four of them, he had been in a relationship the longest. And quite apart from that, Remus was the most sensible one of the group, the one all the girls confided in and liked. He had an insight into how their minds worked and was an invaluable asset to them. James recalled a conversation they'd had almost a year ago, with Remus holding court in their dormitory as usual…

 " _Never, NEVER talk about your exes with your current girlfriend, unless she asks. And even then, tread lightly, because you don't want to make an ass of yourself by saying that one of your exes is a better kisser than her. Padfoot, Prongs? Are you listening to me? PRONGS!"_

Cursing vehemently under his breath, James turned, intending to go where no Potter (apart from his father and grandfather, poor, love struck men they were, wrapped completely around their spouses little fingers) had gone before. He threw open the door to Madame Malkins, running inside…and promptly collided with Lily as she was coming out of the shop.

With the speed borne out of countless hours practicing lightning speed passes, James reached out, grabbed Lily, and the packages she was carrying, somehow managing to keep all of them from falling to the ground. A moment passed and neither moved, James frantically searching Lily's eyes for a hint of what she was feeling. All he got was a blank. Sometimes, her neutral façade was even harder to read than Remus, and that was saying something.

" Are you all right?" He whispered to her.

She nodded and opened her mouth to say something when they were interrupted. Lily broke eye contact with him as she glanced over her shoulder.

" Oh dear!" Behind them, Madam Malkin was hurrying forward. " Are you two all right?"

" Yes, Madame Malkin," Lily answered a little breathlessly. " We're fine."

" Thanks," James said, looking at her over Lily's shoulder. He adjusted his grip on her parcels as she abruptly stepped out of his hold and turned to wave goodbye to the shopkeeper.

" Thanks for everything, Madame," Lily called with a smile.

" Oh, my pleasure dear. Come again soon!!"

Lily walked out of the doorway, leaving James with her packages to follow after her.

" Lily! Hang on!" Breathing a little loudly, James fell into step beside her. " I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. I…I _wasn't_ comparing you to the others, I'm sorry if you took it that way-"

" And how am I supposed to take it, James?" Lily inquired curiously, cutting him off mid-sentence. " I am a _girl_, in case you failed to notice."

" Of course I've noticed, Lily, I've been noticing since practically forever! Please, just, I know, I made a royal ass out of myself and I am sorry. It's just that I find it so easy to talk to you, sometimes I forget that you're not just a friend of mine anymore." He was getting a little desperate. He and Lily had had dozens and dozens of fights before, but never one since they had become a couple. Of course, that might've had something to do with the fact that this was the first time he'd seen her since she'd agreed to go out with him, but that was hardly the point. " Look. Just so we're clear. I could never 'compare' you to any of the others, because, to be frank, it's just not possible. Not one of those girls could ever compare to you and you know it. I would never wait three hours for one of them."

She was silent, still walking along as if she hadn't heard a single word he was saying. 

" Lily?" James ventured, cringing as he thought of Sirius and Remus' reactions when he told them about this. _If _he chose to tell them about this. He wasn't quite sure what had happened himself, and he really didn't even want to consider the possibility of Lily breaking up with him after only a few hours of being with him. The thought was too damaging to bear. " Please say something." He implored.

She sighed. " James."

" Yeah?" He managed.

" You do know that that you would be making it very hard for me to stay angry at you if I was actually angry at you, don't you?"

Hazel eyes narrowed as James processed her words and then a smile of relief broke out over his features, causing one or two young witches in the vicinity to get slightly dazed expressions on their faces. 

" You're not angry at me then?"

A small smile tugged the corner of her lips upwards. " No. I never was." A slightly embarrassed look crossed her features for an instant as she muttered, " A bit jealous, maybe but never mad."

Fighting the urge to thank the gods, James eyes narrowed once more as he caught her words. " Wait. So…if you weren't angry, why did you let me go through all that?" He demanded of her.

Lily chuckled softly. " It was rather entertaining, James, that's why."

" Not for me, it wasn't. And another thing…wait. Did you just say you were jealous?" He asked, incredulity written all over his face. " Why would you be jealous?!"

" No," she denied immediately. Her face coloured and Lily sighed. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Petunia that she didn't lie. She was just no good at it; she always blushed to the roots of her hair whenever she did so. " Yes." She admitted, pouting at James. " Happy now?"

James blinked, trying to rid himself of the image of Lily pouting up at him, and how she managed to look completely innocent and enticing at the same time. " Why would you be jealous of them?"

She sighed. " I'm not. Not anymore at least. It was just a passing thing."

" Lily," James began gently. " Just so you know, I was serious when I said that none of them could compare to you. They just…they can't. All right? So you don't ever have to be jealous of them. Seriously."

Lily shook her head at him with a smile, wondering where this sweet and extremely perceptive James Potter had come from. Who could have known, after years of squabbling and petty arguments with him that this person was underneath the cocky, pretentious git she'd fought since first year?

" I know, James. It's just… I'm little inexperienced in this whole going out thing, that's all." 

James frowned, unable to come up with a ready reply to this. Lily, however, didn't seem to be waiting for a reply, as she pulled him to a stop and started rummaging through one of her parcels. 

" Hang on for a bit, I just need to get something…" She pulled out what looked like a set of pale blue wizards robes from one bag, and she slipped it on over her dress. " Ah. That's better. I haven't been able to wear robes since I got home." Lily started to fasten the robes closed but James reached out to stop her.

" Don't." He grinned at her. " I uh…like it this way. But if you really want to you can-"

" It's ok," James, she interrupted. " I haven't seen you in such a long time, I figure it wouldn't hurt to oblige you. Just this once, though. Don't get too used to it." Lily smiled.

" I'll take what I can get." 

He stepped closer to her and dipped his head lower till she was meeting his gaze. Lily suddenly felt her mouth go dry. James was close enough that she could see the golden flecks in his eyes, and see that his lips were coming closer and closer….

" Right," Lily said, breaking the gaze that connected them nervously. Dreams or no, she certainly wasn't going to kiss James right in the middle of a crowded street, no matter how hard he was making it to resist. She reached into a pocket in her dress, feeling the smooth wood of her wand and the metallic feel of the coins she had shrunk during the last day of school last term. Lily had figured that she could get someone to put them back to size when she shopped. Her 17th birthday was coming up in a month, she was one of the last people in her year to celebrate it, but until then, she was still just an underage witch. Finding the parchment she was looking for, Lily took a sidestep away from James, towards the book shop. " First stop, Flourish and Blotts."

" Lily," James groaned, following her.

" Come on, James," Lily chided, taking the hand that wasn't carrying all her packages. " I promise, if you behave, I'll give you a treat,"

James heart quickened as he took in the wicked smile spreading over Lily's face. " A… treat?"

" Mmm hmm." She purred, stepping closer to him. " A nice, utterly delicious…" She drew it out, fighting the urge to laugh when she saw his look of anticipation. " Ice cream cone."

James groaned again and Lily laughed at his disappointment and discomfiture. With a low growl and a look of pretended annoyance on his face, James reached out to grab Lily, and she danced out of his reach, laughing all the while, leading the way into the bookshop. 

" Come _on_, James! Ice cream would be perfect, it'll cool you down some."

" Cool me down?" James muttered as he followed his girlfriend. " It might. But it's really _not_ what I had in mind."

******************

Across Flourish and Blotts, hidden by the shadows of several cauldrons stacked five feet high, a heavily cloaked figure watched the two young Gryffindors, scowling at every laugh, every smile that they shared. The reproachful gaze trained on Lily and James intensified when they drifted closer together, and then lessened in intensity when the red haired girl stepped away from her messy haired companion. As the teens made their way into the shop, the watcher's eyes lingered on Lily, hungrily tracking her every move.

Noises from the other side of the cauldrons warned of approaching people. By the time the clerk of the shop got to the other side, the space was empty.

Further down the alley, the sinister figure smiled grimly. 

It wouldn't be long now.

TBC.


	3. Chapter Three

_Summary:_ It's Lily and James final year, and with head prefects' duties, jealous rivals, a dangerous stalker and the threat of Voldemort looming ever closer, they are in for a hell of year indeed. Slightly AU.

_Disclaimer_: I do not own James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Gideon Prewitt or any of the characters that are recognisable from the Harry Potter Books. They belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury and Scholastic, no infringement intended. Isabelle and Giselle McKinnon are mine.

_Author's note: BIG_ BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed! Here's the next chapter, hope it doesn't disappoint.

Chapter Three

At precisely three forty five on a glorious London afternoon, the doors of the Leaky Cauldron opened, and spilled two teenagers out into the street.

" You are absolutely incorrigible, James!" Lily declared, clearly exasperated.

" He was _leering_ at you Lily!" James looked very frustrated as he began to defend his actions. " What was I supposed to do, let him?"

Lily laughed, surprising James once more. One minute she'd been lecturing him, the next she was laughing. He was never going to understand this girl. He grinned. And a part of him hoped he never would. 

" No, you were supposed to let _me_ do the honours," She chided. " I could have taught him a lesson myself you know,"

" What were you going to do?" James asked teasingly, as he deposited all his shopping into one hand and reached for one of hers with his free hand. " Kick him in the shins? The last time I checked, you weren't of age, Miss Evans." As he spoke, he led her a little way from the doorway to a small bench that had been placed on the sidewalk.

Lily tilted her chin upwards defiantly as she sat, her emerald eyes sparkling with amusement all the same. "Mr. Potter, I am quite capable of inflicting damage upon those who trouble me _without_ my wand." She grinned. " You should know that better than anyone."

James winced and nodded ruefully, placing his bags on his other side as he sat down. " Right. I…forgot about that."

" I haven't." Lily gave him an innocent look. " How long did it take for that hand print to fade away?"

" A long time." Looking distinctly pained at the memory James sighed in defeat. " All right, all right. I promise I'll let you 'take care' of any troublemakers by yourself. Unless I absolutely can't stand doing nothing about it."

" And how often do you think that will be?" Lily asked, a knowing look on her face.

" Very often." He replied without missing a beat. " In fact, it would be safe to say all the time."

" James," Lily groaned in exasperation. " I am not a helpless damsel in distress who needs protection twenty four seven."

" I didn't say you were." He answered flippantly.

" So then stop treating me like one, all right?"

" All right."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, unsatisfied with his glib answers. She knew James Potter well enough to know when he wasn't taking someone seriously. It had been one of many things that had helped her gain the upper hand on him so much. He had an unfortunate tendency to underestimate her.

" James," She began, pursing her lips. " I'm serious."

He grinned at her. " No you're not!"

Lily groaned again. " Don't say it! Please don't say it."

He laughed, lifting his hands in a placatory gesture. " I won't. But just for the record, I know Sirius, and you are definitely not he. You are much, _much_ prettier."

" You are impossible!" Lily scolded, but she couldn't help smiling at him anyway. 

The day had been an absolute success. From shopping for their school supplies to eating lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and wandering around the Alley, discovering all sorts of ingenious little magical gadgets designed to make life easier while they slurped delicious ice creams, James had kept up a steady patter of amusing stories about the Marauders various exploits around the Alley and highly humorous explanations for strange objects on display that she didn't have the faintest idea about. She didn't think she'd ever had so much fun with a boy before. And now, it was almost over. Who would have ever thought that there would come a day when she'd actually be sad to be leaving James Potter's company?

" Lily?"

She glanced up at his hesitant tone, watching as the normally confident James shuffled his feet a little, an uncertain, almost shy look his face. Lily hid a grin. He looked completely adorable at that moment, almost like a little boy.

" I, er...that is to say, I hope you had a good time today." James swallowed nervously, looking her in the eye. " Because I did. I had more than that actually. I had a _brilliant_ time." She was quiet for a moment, and just when James was preparing himself to hear about what an awful time she'd had, Lily gave him a pretty smile and reached up to brush away his bangs.

" I had a wonderful time, James."

" Really?" He blurted out, colouring almost immediately afterward. " I mean, good! Because I had one also. A good time I mean."

She giggled at his fumbling and he sighed, staring down at her in slight embarrassment.

" I just made an idiot out of myself again, didn't I?"

" To be honest, yeah you did," Lily admitted. She winked at him playfully. " But you're a rather good looking idiot, so I suppose I can overlook it."

" How do you do that?" James questioned, a genuinely puzzled look on his face. " How do you manage to insult me and compliment me at the same time? It's maddening, it is. I can never figure out if I'm supposed to be offended or flattered."

She laughed again and set her bags near her feet, starting to slip off the newly bought robes. She folded them neatly, grinning at him.

" It's my own little gift," A wistful expression crossed her face. " The day has gone by so fast, hasn't it?" 

James leaned down to pick up her bags for her and let his hand rest briefly on hers as he gave them back.

" Yeah it has. Too fast." He answered regretfully.

Lily carefully placed the folded robes into the bag that contained her new school robes, the ones she'd pre-ordered from Madame Malkin. 

" Listen, Lily. Will I see you again? Before school starts, I mean." James asked hopefully.

Lily frowned in thought as she remembered that they had a little over a week before the new term started. Now that she'd bought the things she needed for school, there really was no reason to come back to Diagon Alley. Her mother might've understood her desire to see James under normal circumstances, but right now, circumstances at the Evans household were anything but ordinary. Petunia was bound and determined to have the ultimate _normal_ wedding, complete with fussy gowns and decorations that matched the china, even right down to the doves and rice that were going to be used at the end of the ceremony. That meant that her parents were both going to be extremely busy and had far too little time to be driving her to London. They would also be quick to point out that with school starting in a week or so, it was pointless to make the trip, as she would be seeing him soon anyway. 

James knew, even before she answered that it would be a no. He also knew all the reasons behind it, but that didn't stop him from feeling slightly angry at the fates for letting it all play out this way. Why couldn't they have persuaded her to say yes at the beginning of sixth year anyway? He couldn't wait for school to start.

" I'd love to," Lily began and James interrupted. 

" But you can't. I know." He shrugged. " Stupid of me to ask, with school starting soon and all."

" Anyway," Casting her mind about for a change of subject to lighten the suddenly heavy air around them, Lily smiled as she hit on a topic. " How are the others? Remus and Sirius and Peter?"

" Remus is fine," James answered automatically. " He and his family went down to Yorkshire to visit some relatives." In truth, the only 'relation' Remus had to the people they were going to visit, was that they all carried the burden of being werewolves. This particular group of wizards were carrying out groundbreaking research on a potion that could transform a raging werewolf into a tame and docile creature. He sent up a silent prayer for his friend, hoping that he would return with good news. He hadn't seen Remus as excited about anything as he had been about the news for a very long time. " Sirius is all right, he's turning my room into even more of pig sty than it was before," James paused as Lily chuckled at this. " Peter is all right as well, he wrote a few days back, apparently, his mum has been making him take remedial lessons over the holidays." He grimaced. "Poor old Peter. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes."

" Me neither," Lily agreed. " Did you get all your homework done already?"

" I'm working on it," James lied smoothly, thinking of the pile he and Sirius would have to do during their last week. " How are Gideon and Belle?" He asked swiftly, throwing the spotlight back to her.

Lily narrowed her eyes at his abrupt change of subject, but she let it pass. He had one more week to do it all after all, and she wasn't about to mother hen him. She found it highly irritating when the girls in school made such a fuss over their boyfriends and had promised herself that she would not go down that route. Why fuss when she could nag after all? She smiled, both at the thought and at the mention of her best friends.

" They're both fine. Well, at least 'Deon is. Belle's still globe trotting around the Spanish Mediterranean with her family, and I haven't heard from her in while. Deon's having a great time with his brother though, Fabian just got into the Magical Law enforcement Squad, did you hear?"

" Yeah I did," James nodded. Lily suddenly frowned and he shifted closer to her in concern." Something wrong?" 

" It's nothing, I just realized," A blush rose on her cheeks and James found this completely adorable.

" Yeah? Go on, Lily." He grinned and nudged her. " If it's some life changing revelation about me, I promise I won't tell anyone."

Lily rolled her eyes and nudged him back. " You should be so lucky, Potter," She bit her lip and stared up at him a little warily. " I haven't told them yet James."

James blinked, a little confused. " Who? What? Who haven't you told what yet?"

Lily continued to worry her lip and she answered a little hesitantly, unsure of his reaction. " My parents. Well, more specifically, my dad, and 'Deon and Belle. I haven't told them about… us."

Realization dawned on him and James stared down at her, a little hurt. " Why not? Are you…ashamed of it? Of me?"

Lily's mouth dropped open in horror and she grabbed his hands, shaking her head empathically as her green eyes shone with sincerity. 

" No, of course not! It's not that, James, it's really not!"

" Well what is it then?" James questioned curiously, convinced by the earnestness he saw in her eyes. 

" It's just…" She paused for moment, as if gathering her thoughts. " Well, this is going to be an understatement of the century, but you and I didn't exactly get along until very recently."

James grinned wryly. " True."

" And I wrote home about you," Lily continued. " And all your, erm, escapades."

" Oh." James winced, unsure if he wanted to know what it had been she had written home to her parents about him. " I take it those letters weren't in a favourable light?"

Lily laughed. " Not exactly, no. Anyway, I have told my mother that things between us have changed, and for the better, but as far as my father knows, you're still a hellion who loves stirring up trouble."

" I wonder where he got that idea from?" He asked, mock wonderingly. His face turned serious though and he squeezed Lily's hands, which were still grasping his. " You will tell him though, won't you? Because, and I expect Sirius will tell you all about this and in more detail when we get back, the first thing I did when I got home was climb onto my roof and scream my head off and let the whole world know we were going out." 

Lily laughed at the image and nodded at him reassuringly. " I promise. Of course, you realize that he'll want to meet you?"

James face froze in fear. " He will?"

Lily smirked. " Yes he will. But that will probably be later on so you don't have to worry,"

The relief was visible on his face as his shoulders relaxed. Lily bit back a giggle.

" Right. Later on. Fine."

" And I've decided that it would be better to tell 'Deon and Belle in person." Lily winced, imagining Belle's reaction to the news. " If I wrote it to them in a letter, they probably wouldn't believe me."

Good mood restored, James laughed, imagining the faces of Lily's best friends. " I can see their faces." His eyes twinkled mischievously at Lily. " You know, maybe it was a good thing you didn't tell them,"

" Oh? How so?"

" Well," James began, grinning wickedly. " This way, we can surprise them, especially when they see us snogging on the platform."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him, inwardly cringing at the thought of the chaos such an act would induce. The hoards of girls who were dedicated admirers of James would most likely revolt and call for her beheading while Gideon would be stuck by paralysis and Belle…Belle would probably burst out screaming and drag Lily away, possibly even accusing James for putting her under the imperius while she was at it. 

" Keep dreaming, James," She informed him dryly.

" Ah, come on, Lily! Where's your sense of adventure?"

" It sort of starts flashing warning signs at me at the thought of public displays of affection."

James laughed and tugged on her hair, a habit he'd picked up in second year when he'd learned that it annoyed her. 

" Spoilsport."

" Exhibitionist."

They grinned at each other for a few moments and burst out into laughter. Lily leaned against the back of the bench, smiling contentedly as she wished she had a camera to capture this moment where they were just two, normal teenagers enjoying each other's company. Just as she was about to voice this wish, somewhere in the city, a great clock struck four.

Lily sighed and glanced over at James, who was watching her with a look that she found difficult to place.

" Four." She stated unnecessarily. " My mum will be coming soon." She grinned. " I'm going to introduce you to her, so _try_ to behave, all right?"

James grinned back, the look vanishing from his face. " I'm always behaved."

Lily snorted as she started separating his bags from hers. " Ha! Since when?" Green eyes sparkled as she said affectionately, " Fix your hair."

" Can't." He replied blithely. " It never stays in one place long enough." 

" That's for sure," Lily agreed, eyeing the perpetually messy mop that was his crowning glory. She gazed down the street and sighed again as she recognized her mum's car weaving through the traffic. Lily stood, smoothing out the wrinkles of her dress. She glanced down to find James watching her appreciatively. 

" What?"

" Nothing," He smiled cheekily at her. " Just admiring the view."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him up to stand beside her. " Here!" She thrust her bags into his arms. " Hold onto these for a moment will you?" A blue car had pulled up to the curb, and she began to walk to it, hurrying to greet the blonde haired woman who had just stepped out.  She glanced back at him over her shoulder. " I'll call you in a minute!"

James nodded, trying to prepare himself for meeting Lily's mother. In an effort to distract himself from the butterflies in his stomach, he studied mother and daughter as they hugged, trying to see if he could find any similarities between them in terms of looks. Mrs. Evans was blonde, and so, Lily had most definitely not inherited the flame haired locks James had so often dreamed about over the past few years from her. They did however share the same bone structure, delicate but strong. Lily also seemed to have gotten her fair, rose tinted complexion from her mother, as well as her heart shaped face. That was where the similarities ended. James straightened a bit when he saw Lily beckon to him, and grabbing his own bags, he made his way over to them. Mrs. Evans was attractive, he mused, and she had probably been very pretty when she had been Lily's age, but, biased as it was, James stuck to his belief that Lily was the most beautiful girl on the planet.

No question about it.

" Mum," Lily was saying, " I'd like you to meet James Potter."

James immediately deposited all their shopping onto the ground at his feet and grasped her mother's outstretched hand courteously. 

" Mrs. Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you." Searching his mind frantically for something funny or witty to say, he drew a blank. "  I'm James."

As soon as he had said it, James wished he could take it back. Countless dates and embarrassing situations, even a few dangerous ones, and that was all he could come up with? Mrs. Evans blue eyes lit up in amusement, and James heard Lily snicker quietly beside him. 

" Yes, I'm aware of that."

Feeling that he needed to rescue the situation before it got any worse, he blurted out, " I'm not as bad as she said I was. Really."

Mrs. Evans laughed and James cringed. Wonderful. His voice had come out sounding all desperate. She would probably think he was some kind of crazed lunatic and ban him from seeing Lily ever again.

" I'm aware of that too. My daughter has excellent judgement, and I trust her." Here, she cast a proud look at Lily. " So," She began conversationally, obviously taking pity on him, " did you two get everything you needed? I hope Lily hasn't been using you as her own personal carrier all day James."

" Mum," Lily sighed, inwardly happy that her mother was being nice to James. It was a sure sign she liked him.

" Yes, we did, Mrs. Evans," James nodded, " And yes, she did," Here, he smirked at Lily before turning back to her mother with a politer smile, " but I really didn't mind. Thank you for driving Lily here."

" Oh, it was no problem. We were in the neighbourhood," Grace smiled at him and glanced at her watch. "Lily, dear, we have to get going. It was nice to meet you James."

" And you, Mrs. Evans." James replied. She bent to get Lily's bags but James stopped her. " I'll do it."

" Why, thank you James. I'll just get in and open the boot for you. Give you both time to say goodbye." 

Lily was silent as James picked up their shopping and walked beside her as they trailed her mother to the car. James glanced at her nervously.

" Er…how did I do?"

She smiled. " You were fabulous." 

" Really?" Thoroughly relieved, James hefted Lily's parcels into the boot that had popped open. " I'm glad." He smiled at her. " I'm glad that you came. Thank you."

Lily laughed and smiled back. " I'm glad you waited. And thank _you_ for asking me to come."

" So this is goodbye then," James said, gripping his bags with one hand. " Till next week that is."

" Yeah."

As if coming to a decision, he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. 

" I'll write to you," He whispered as he pulled away. James turned to go when Lily grabbed his arm to stop him, leaning forward to kiss _his_ cheek too. 

" And I'll write back," She whispered in his ear. James closed his eyes as her breath wafted over his ear, opening them to find her smiling amusedly at him.

"See you soon?"

He nodded, still a little dazed.

" Very soon." He managed.

" Lily!"

" Coming mum!"

Lily hurried to the passenger side door and got into the car, feeling more tingly than she cared to admit after James innocent kiss.

" So," her mother began, smiling at her daughter. " That was James."

Lily nodded. " Yes."

Mrs. Evans started the car and began to ease into the traffic. " He's certainly not what I expected. The way you always went on about him being a hooligan in your letters, I see you forgot to mention a very important fact."

Forehead wrinkling in question, Lily frowned at her mother. " What's that?"

Grace Evans smiled playfully, winking at her. " He's rather good looking."

Lily laughed, turning around in her seat to catch a glimpse of James. He was still there, watching after the car with a mile wide grin on his face.

" Yes, he is, isn't he?" She smirked. " For a hooligan that is."

TBC.


End file.
